# Majdanek liberated (1944)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1944-majdanek-liberated
Location: Lublin

Soviet troops reached the Majdanek camp near Lublin, the first major Nazi camp to be liberated. Within the broader World War II period: Invaded by Germany and the Soviet Union, Poland suffered brutal occupation and the Holocaust, while its underground state and armed forces fought on every front of the war. At this point in the timeline (23 July 1944), the governing authority was Władysław Raczkiewicz (President of Poland (in exile)). President of the internationally recognised Polish government-in-exile in France and London during World War II. Majdanek liberated mattered because it was part of the deliberate destruction of human lives that devastated Poland's Jewish and Polish populations and remains central to the memory of the twentieth century. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Majdanek liberated mattered because it was part of the deliberate destruction of human lives that devastated Poland's Jewish and Polish populations and remains central to the memory of the twentieth century.

Ruler at the time: [Władysław Raczkiewicz](https://poland-history.com/rulers/wladyslaw-raczkiewicz)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Majdanek concentration camp](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majdanek_concentration_camp)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Majdanek liberated](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Majdanek+liberated)
- [Wikipedia — History of Poland (1939–1945) (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Poland_(1939%E2%80%931945))